Virtual SIM card (virtual sim card, VSIM for short) is a totally new concept currently in the field of mobile terminals. From the perspective of functions, the VSIM may take the place of a physical SIM card that is currently put inside a terminal. The VSIM can be downloaded conveniently by using a network, and provides more convenience for a user to use services, such as roaming services.
A user that uses the VSIM does not need to insert another physical SIM card into a mobile phone except a home location SIM card, but applies for a server by using a newly created number, uses a data channel of a communications standard 2G/3G or another standard, downloads and installs VSIM data that is equivalent to another SIM card to the mobile phone, so that the user has an extra mobile phone number.
In the prior art, downloading of the VSIM is all implemented through the Internet, that is, a terminal connected to the Internet may download, directly through the Internet, the VSIM from a data server deployed by an operator. It can be seen that, downloading of the VSIM is very convenient, but the constraint is also very obvious, that is, the implementation should rely on the Internet.
Because of this, disadvantages of the prior art are: when a user cannot connect to the Internet due to reasons of roaming, crossing service areas, or the like, the user cannot normally download the VSIM and cannot use related services.